Apparatus for applying lids to tins, cans, and the like



Dec. 19, 1922. 1,439,620.

v. c. H. ELGY. APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIDS T0 TINS, CANS, AND THE LIKE.

FILED JAN. 26' I921.

f7% racy,

Patented Dec. 19, 192 2.

,Ui'ro STATES PAT NT; OFFICE.

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIDS TO TINS, CANS, AND THE LIKE.

Application filed January 26, 1921. Serial No. 440,174.

To allwhomit may concern:

Be it knownthat I, VALENTINE CHARLES HERBERT ELGY, a subject of' the King" of Great Britain, residing in London,England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in. Apparatus for Applying Lids to Tins, Cans, and the like, of which the following is a specification.

.My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for applying flanged lids to tins,

cans or like body members, the liddii1gapparatus being of the class described in the specification accompanying my co-pending U. S. application Serial Nog354 355, and

comprising a longitudinally grooved or channelled track or guideway along which a tin or other-like body member is carried forwardly towards a point of dischargeby means of a suitably driven endless belt or'conveyer into engagement with and at an angle with the inside of the flange of a lid member, the pair of said members being then carried further forward, by means of abutment pieces fitted to the conveyer, and

beneath a device adapted to press the lid sizes of tins, and while the said members are 'erence to the accompanying draw ng, in

being carried below the lid closingidevice.

A further object is to provide means permitting the machine to be adjusted to oper-' ate on tins of varying predetermined depth or height. V I

The invention" will be described with refwhich Fig.1is a plan of part ofthe im proved apparatus which is shown furnished with means adapting the machine for operating on tins of varying diameters and depth Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsection of, the apparatus, and Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 33 in Fig. 1. i

In the drawing the grooved or channelled track or quideway is shown consisting of plate whose undersurface clined relatively to the floor'7; the rear.

a base 1, lower side walls 2 and upper side Walls 3. The endless band or conveyer,

by means of which the tins and lids are moved along the guideway during a lidclosing ,operation, is denoted by $5., The

direction in j which the band travels is in-v dicated n Fig. 1 by an arrow, but the mechanism for actuatingthe band isnot shown. The tins 6 are fed one by. one,

mouth upwards, and in proper timed re-' lation, by suitable feeding mechanism, by gravitation or byhand, on to the floor surface of the guideway, at some convenient point thereof. The lids 8. are similarly de livered, mouth down and one by one .on to a platform which comprises two longitudinal portions 9, 9, carried by the side walls .3 of the 'guideway. of each of these portions is substantially horizontal, while each front partlO has a downward inclination andis formed in a The rear partsmanner to be capable of yielding under pressure applied above or below. pose the front parts 10may' be cut away on their outer edges as indicated at 11 in Fig. l.

Thefdevice for closing a lid. 8 down. on to a tin 6 is shown at 12 and consists ofa is suitably inportion of the surface being comparatively steeply inclined, the next or central portion under which the tin and lid pass in the final stage of pressingthelid on to the tin being less inclined and the foremost portion parallel Wltl'l'the floor 7 orfnearly so.

The plate 12 is carried by rods 13 which For this purare supported on U-shaped yokes 14 by means of the wing nuts-15 on the upper screw threaded ends of the rods. The yokes aresuitablyfix'ed to the sides '3 of the guideway.* By adjusting the nuts 15 the dis- I tance of theplate 12 above'the floor 7 may be varied as desired. The plate 12 can be raisedv and lowered to suit tins and'lids of different depths. L

.Encircling the/rodsv 13 are coil'springs 16 of appropriate compression which" also can be varied by operating nuts 15.

At suitable'distances apart the conveyer band5 is fitted with a series of'cross pieces 17 toeach of which is standing abutment pieces or fingers 18,'the upper portions of which are bent forwardly for a purpose hereinafter described. The lateral edges of the cross pieces extend into grooves l provided in. the floor of the channelled guideway, thereby preventing the and from rising. The fingers 18 constituting a pair are so spaced apart that they tend to centre a tin and lidin engagement with them.

Supposing a'tin hasbeen fed to or placed upon the floor of the guideway at a convenient distance in rear of or to the left of the platform; 9 in Fig. 1, and alid on to the rear parts of the platform, then as the band advances the lower portions of the next adjacentpair of lingers 19 in the rear will engage with the side of the said tin, and carry thetin along the floor 7 into the dotted-line position A in Fig. 2. On that position being reached the upper forwardly bent portions of the fingers 18 will engage with the lid atthe moment on platform 9, as indicated in Fig. 2. On further forward movement of the band, the lingers will carry both the tin and lid forward, the lid being slightly in advance of the tin, and to such an extent thatas the lid moves over the downwardly inclined portions 10 of the platform 9 and acquires aninclined position with the leading part or its flange just ahead of the front edges of theparts 10, the front portion of the rim of the tin will be moved into engagement with a portion of the inner face of thefiange of the lid. As the tin and lid in such relative positions are carried by the conveyer band 5 and fingers 18 underthe lid closing device 12, the lid will be gradually pressed on to the mouth of the tin and will attain the properly closed position by the time the tin and lid reach the front portion ofthe lower surface of the plate 12.

As the conveyer continues its travel it will convey the tin, now closed by the lid, beyond the front end of the plate 12, towards a point of discharge. I

The platform 9 being formedin two portions with a gap between, a passageway for the travelling fingers 18 of the conveyer band is thus afforded. Thewidth of the plate 12 is such that the fingers 18 are able to pass one on each side of it. As stated above, the pairs of fingers 18 tend to centralize or align the tins and lids pushed forwardly by them, so that tins having a diameter substantially equal to the distance or spac'e'between the inner faces of the side wall 8 of the guideway, and tins having smaller diameters, can have their lids applied to them by the improved apparatus.

However, to ensure a tin and lid having a diameter less than the width between the sides 3 being accurately centered relatively to vone another, means independent of the fingers 1S and whose duty is to keep tin and lid in proper central alignment irrespective of the fingers, and also to controlthe lid in its descent after it leavesthe sloping portions of platform 9, maybe provided; one

I form of such means will now be described.

The indepei'ident centralizing means, shown in the drawing consists of a pair of vertical and opnositely disposed cheek or guide blades 19, 19, which may be of any suitable length and are at their rear ends 20 hinged or pirotally mounted on a convenient part K of the channelled guideway. The blades are associated with means tending nor mally to push yieldingly their front portions inwardly towards the centre lineof the channelled guideway, while leaving them free to yield and more outwardly under pressure from a tin and lid passing between them.

In the drawing the blades are shown bearing against springs 21 attached each at one end to a suitable part of the guideway frame, but coil springs or other suitable devices may be alternatively provided for yieldingly .pushing the blades inwardly. Any suitable means may be provided for limiting the movement of the blades. It will be seen that as a tin and lid are pushed forwardly by the fingers 18 along the guide way and between the blaees. the s arings 2i will yield and the blades will adjust themselves to the diameter of the tin and lid, and centre them relatively to one another along the centre line of the guideway,

The rear portions of the blades 19 are slotted as at 22 to permit of their to and fro movement about the lateral portions of the platform 9. Controlling means as an embossment or projection 23 may be pro vided on the inner faces of the blades 19 of the centralizing device for the purpose of preventing the tins from rising while moving under platform 9. Similar controlling means may be applied to the inner faces of the sides 3 of the guideway for the same object when the centralizing devices 19 are not employed.

The blades 19 and springs 21 may be mounted .on the machine in a manner to be readily removable when not required in closing tins of a diametersubstantially equal to the distance between the sides 3 of the guideway. p I

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the best means I know of carrying the same intopractical effect, I claim 1. In a can, tin and like lidding apparatus of the class described having a longitudinally channelled guideway and an endless conveyer band traversing the guideway, means for centering and aligning a can to be lidded and a lid relatively to one another and to the centre line of the guideway during the movement of the conveyer and the can and lid along the guideway. said means comprising pairs of upstanding fingers fitted toand disposed trai'is'versely of the said band, the pairs of fingers being suitably spaced apart along the band and the twofingers constituting a pair being themselves spaced transversely apart and adapted to engage side portions of the said can and lid and thereby center the said can and lid one relatively to the other, substantially as described.

2. In can tin and like lidding nally channelled guideway and an endless conveyor band traversing the guideway, means for centering and aiming a can to be lidded and a superposed lid relatively to one,

their upper parts forwardly bent with respect to their lower parts, the pairs of fingers being suitably spaced apart along the band and the two fingers constituting a pair being themselves spaced transversely apart, their lower parts adapted to engage a side portion of the can and their upper parts adapted to engage aside portion of the lid; thereby centering the can and lid one relatively to the other, substantiallyas described.

3. In a can, tin and like'lidding appaapparatus of the class described having a longitudi-' ratus of the class described having a longitudinally channelled guideway and an end can to be lidded and a lid relatively to one another and to the centre line of the guide- Way during the movement'of theconveyer and the can and lid along the guideway, said means comprising pairs of upstanding fingers fitted to and disposed transversely of the said band, the pairs of fingers being suitably spaced apart along the band and the two fingers constituting a pail-being themselves spaced transversely apart and adapted to engage side portions of the said can and lid and a pair of oppositely disposed guide plates arranged longitudinally of the guideway, each guide plate having one end pivotally mounted on the gu-ideway and the other end free, resilient devices interposed between the inner sides of the guideway and the free ends of the said plates and adapted normally to push the said free ends towards the centre line of the with the side portions of the said members.

In testimony whereof I have signed my.

name to this specification.

VALENTINE CHARLES HERBERT ELGY. 

